Hyderabad Completely Depending on Water Board’s Supply due to Groundwater levels Dipping

In Hyderabad groundwater levels have dipped in several colonies making them completely dependent on Water Board’s supply.

In Ranga Reddy district, which forms the major part of the Greater Hyderabad limits, the water level went down to 12.7 meters from 8.62 meters a drop of 4.12 meters or 13.5 ft. As per the state ground-water department records, in Hyderabad district limits, if water was available at an average depth of 6.9 meters in December 2013, it plummeted to 9.46 meters in last year a drop of 2.52 meters or 8.3 ft.

The worst drop has been recorded in Nampally and Kulsumpura, Underground water was available at a depth of 3 m and 3.7 meters in December 2013, but dropped to 11.7 meters and 10.4 meters respectively in December 2014.

Underground water levels are at the lowest in Marredpally, Sanjeevareddynagar and Darulshifa with 22.5 meters, 19.6 meters and 11.6 meters respectively. Only three of the total 11 areas showed marginal improvement.

Tandur recorded marginal improvement by 55 cm. Bantawaram mandal recorded the worst fall in water table with a difference of 18.87 meters. It fell from 5.3 meters in December 2013 to 24.17 meters in December 2014.

In Moinabad in December 2014 Gandeed and Moinabad mandals recorded a fall of up to 12 meters. Groundwater was at 25.56 meters.

Ramesh Kumar who is deputy director of the groundwater department said, “The city had a 40 per cent deficit in rainfall during last monsoon. In certain areas, people are drawing water from up to 250 meters whereas the permitted level is only up to 120 meters.” Experts attribute fall in groundwater levels to the rising number of bore wells and improper recharge